Blue Drop
by SoundPhase
Summary: And without notice, and without warning, it clicked for him.


AN: Not my first fanfic but the first one I am willing to publish! I wrote this for my best friend who adores KyouTaku to pieces. Concrit would be more than appreciated! （ ＾＾）人（＾＾ ）

I apologize for the period dividers; I'm a big fan of spacing when I write but FF's coding doesn't allow for it! Hopefully they won't be too obtrusive?

* * *

Takuto Shindou had patience for a lot of things, but Kyousuke Tsurugi was pretty close to the bottom of the list.

Part of it had been that he had shown up uninvited and threw off his careful planning and rhythm for the soccer season. Between attempting to take out the second team and assisting with the Mannouzaka match, Takuto was easily frustrated not knowing if he would be valuable ally or a vicious foe. If it had been his decision from the start, he wouldn't have wanted to associate with the belligerent player.

He hated greys, and he hated the gaps in his knowledge every time he thought of the dark striker. He knew very well it was unrealistic, but he would much prefer his life to operate on black and whites, the same shades that were on his piano papers. There was never room for confusion when his hands connected with the keys. Only error and success existed in between the scales.

At the very least with Tenma, he found that being around the child brought him a sense of nostalgia and belonging that he had longed for. He had pushed his buttons in all the wrong ways of course, but it had resulted in Takuto being more ambitious than he cared to remember. Part of him envied Tenma, for having such spirit and belief in the entire team, and how it worked for the most part. As grand as Takuto was on stage, a conductor was nothing without his orchestra, and Tenma had managed to bring everyone together with relentless charm.

As he sat down and quietly cared for a large bruise on his right arm, he wished it had been equally as successful for him and Kyousuke.

.

After the victory against Teikoku, it had seemed that integrating him into the team would not be as smooth as one would have assumed from his plays. He himself was torn as to whether or not he wanted to belong as part of a second family, and it showed in his relations. He was reluctant to speak to others unless need be, and it took a few solid practice rounds for him to develop assurance for relying on the other teammates. He was still shown to be agitated by Coach Endou, but luckily for everyone involved, it wasn't as heavy as it once was.

Kyousuke didn't necessarily treat everyone with respect, but he did at least treat most with dignity. Tenma himself often drifted between giving him too much space or too much attention, either unsure where to sit quite yet or he was rather slow (the latter being quite likely). Nonetheless, the third years treated him as their equal, and the first years looked up to him with homage. Even Tsurumasa of all people had crept away from his shell and appeared to be fairly comfortable with the new addition to the team.

He jolted when attempting to freeze the bruise. He allowed a soft grunt to pass and continued on with his patchwork. No amount of praise for Kyousuke's plays could offer a viable explanation as to why Takuto was still treated with disdain.

.

Takuto was sharp. He had the bad habit of over-analysis just like most but he picked up on Kyousuke's attitude toward him right away. No matter how close he became with the team, he still felt some of that disapproving aura that had been between them when they first met. He knew it from the passes that were just a little too hard, and from the scowls that were just a little too obvious, and from words that were just a little too cold. This practice run in particular had gotten a little too out of hand, and it resulted in (what he assumed to be) an accidental trip after trying to snatch the ball.

He silently cursed himself for letting a delinquent of all people seep under his skin, as well as cursing the ice pack that wasn't working as quick as he would have liked.

His time waiting in the locker room offered him some of the peace and quiet he needed at the moment (save for a few minutes with a very concerned Akane, who wanted to help, but later became preoccupied). Takuto took a few breaths. He needed to confront Kyousuke about this before it became a bigger issue than a colourful stain on his arm. Even if the reason was as ludicrous as 'you're an authority figure', he felt the need to know. And he'd be damned if some of the anger boiling up in him wasn't helping to push him along.

.

Seeing that practice would be over within a few minutes, he decided to wait it out until Kyousuke revealed himself. Sure enough, most of the team was in, changing and chatting and strategizing and congratulating one another within five minutes time. Takuto had gotten a few concerned comments from Ranmaru, Shinsuke, and the managers, but he managed to swat them away with a happy-enough face.

He carefully glanced around the large room. Just as he had assumed: the forward was nowhere to be found. Part of him anticipated this however; Kyousuke was still reluctant on changing with others, and would show up to practices early and leave them later because of it. Nonetheless, Takuto was patient as ever, and said his goodbyes to his teammates and remained behind, under the pretense of catching up on practice by himself after his arm's recovery.

By the time that even Coach Endou had left the room, Takuto began to grow reluctant. Perhaps this wasn't a very bright idea. But one gentle squeeze of his upper arm made it evident it had to happen sooner or later.

The grey automatic doors opened. The dark striker himself had walked in with his hands in his pockets and his own brand of quiet confidence, all of it draining away the second he saw the captain on the locker bench. He managed to retort with the best scowl he could deliver given his shocked state.

He knew the real reason Takuto was sitting here at this moment, and it made him none too happy.

.

Takuto made the first move, simply by standing up. Kyousuke reacted by leaning forward slightly, as if grounding himself for impact. The captain had no such plans however, as angry as he was, and as extremely tempting as it was.

"What are your intentions?" His voice came out smaller than expected, but with any hope the frustration painted on his face compensated.

Kyousuke responded with a breathy snort. "I have no intentions, other than wanting your sorry ass to stay away from me." His voice drizzled cockiness while his face resonated anger, and Takuto could feel his insides burning as a result. He was going to drag an answer out of him whether he liked it or not.

"If you aren't going to be a proper teammate then you'd be better off leaving."

Kyousuke flinched.

And growled.

"I never said I had to respect you, dear captain."

Takuto responded by taking a large step forward, angling his body for what may come. "That's no excuse!" The curls in his hair characteristically bobbed due to the movement. "If we want to be teammates we have to act like teammates, and none of us have time for whatever grudge you hold against me."

Another snort, this time echoing rage around the otherwise quiet room. "And what makes you think that my respect is just going to drop in your lap?"

Takuto mimicked his opponent's scowl. This wasn't getting either of them anywhere. Why was it that Kyousuke of all people was putting up barriers and stalling during the argument? All he knew was that he had to get out of this stalemate. To ensure this, he hand-picked his next words carefully.

Deep breath.

"You _will_ respect me."

.

That was it. The catalyst to the next collection of actions. Those words were all it took for Kyousuke to stride over to the opposing side of the room and grab Takuto's jaw out of disgust. Not harsh enough to hurt, but harsh enough to assert dominance.

Kyousuke's eyes, which were already a bitter amber, seemed infinitely brighter given the six inches of space in between them. Takuto could imagine his eyes were having a similar effect on the taller boy.

It took a few seconds for Takuto to gain his grounding, which in any outside circumstance would feel awkward as all hell. He looked up at his rival, who had seemed to calm down significantly after the sudden reaction, and it amazed him to see such an uncharacteristic shift from anger to slight confusion.

And without notice, and without warning, it clicked for him. Not necessarily in his head, since he had no idea what was happening or what was going to happen, but it was more of a click in his gut. Something like instinct.

He dived in without a plan.

.

Kyousuke's lips were dry and rough, yet the electricity of the moment didn't allow it to register in either of the boy's heads. Takuto's on the other hand were soft from constant care, and plump from his lucky genetics.

Teeth clattered, lips were bitten, cared-for hair became tangled, and not a single ounce of it mattered. All that mattered was the feeling of closeness and warmth and absolute_ need_.

Kyousuke's cheeks felt as if they were burning, and Takuto couldn't tell if that was because of his blushing or if Takuto's own hands on them were too hot or if it was both or if it was neither but it didn't matter and absolutely nothing mattered other than Kyousuke goddamn Tsurugi and his smarmy mouth that he couldn't get enough of at the moment.

.

Takuto only came to his senses after he had been impatiently pushed away by the other boy.

He blinked. He was on the other side of the open locker room door. Somewhere in between the kissing and the cheek-groping they had changed locations completely. Takuto didn't even consider if it was intentional or not.

There was an awkward moment of silence as they had both allowed their breathing to regulate, and along with it came the nauseating feeling of their heads pounding. If he had been more alert, Takuto would have questioned what was going on but his only consideration was that they weren't snogging at that very moment.

Kyousuke was the first to break the ice, and he hid his face slightly behind his hand to mask how pink his face had become from the constant contact. "...At least let me change out of my uniform first." Takuto's face flushed.

"Oh... right."


End file.
